Groundnut yield jumps 30% on use of digital farming practices

When combined with other data collected from the Rythu Kosam project, rich datasets can be processed to build other predictive models for the farmers, the release added.

HYDERABAD: In a distinct example of technological success in agriculture, farmers in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district increased their per hectare groundnut yield by 30% owing to the use of cloud technology and business intelligence.

As part of the Andhra Pradesh Primary Sector Mission (APPSM), which is also known as 'Rythu Kosam', farmers in the district were advised through text messages on the best time of sowing and harvest depending on weather conditions, soil and other indicators to achieve optimal yield.

This pilot was initiated by the state government and jointly executed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Microsoft. It was launched in June 2016 and was implemented in Devanakonda Mandal of Kurnool district with only groundnut crop.

“Following the launch of the pilot in June 2016, that tested a new Sowing Application for farmers combined with a Personalized Village Advisory Dashboard for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, the results show a 30% higher average in yield per hectare,” said a joint media release by ICRISAT and Microsoft on Monday.

ICRISAT adopted Microsoft’s Cortana Intelligence Suite including Machine Learning (ability of computers to learn without being specifically programmed) and Power BI (Business Intelligence), to disseminate information to the farmers and government officials involved with APPSM to promote digital farming practices in the state.

Using a Sowing Application combined with a Personalized Village Advisory Dashboard for AP, the dashboard provided important insights around soil health, fertilizer recommendations, and seven-day weather forecasts derived from the world’s best available weather observations systems and global forecast models. This data was then downscaled for the highest possible accuracy at the village level, to transform how small holder farmers tackle climate change to drive effective decision-making for their crops.

Anil Bhansali, managing director of Microsoft India (R&D) said, “This result is proof of the efficiencies that cloud technology can bring and thereby help farmers economically by improving agricultural productivity. The applicability of the Intelligent Cloud is a significant start for digital agriculture and we hope more governments and stakeholders come forward to reap benefits of this innovation.”

“We are excited about the results that have emerged from the use of the Sowing Application and Personalized Village Advisory Dashboard. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Microsoft to enhance incomes and improve the lives of small holder farmers, and give a boost to our digital agriculture initiative in a big way,” said Dr David Bergvinson, director general of ICRISAT. The global research institute is providing technical back-end support to Rythu Kosam, which is aimed at positioning the state among the best three performing states by 2022.

Going forward, when combined with other data collected from the Rythu Kosam project, rich datasets can be processed to build other predictive models for the farmers, the release added.

C. Madhusudhana, president, Chaitanya Youth Association and Watershed Community Association of Devanakonda said, “Registered farmers did the sowing in the last week of June and managed the crop as per the weather-based advisories provided by ICRISAT and Microsoft throughout the crop-growing period. Farmers who sowed in the first week of June got meagre yields due to a long dry spell in August, while registered farmers who sowed in the last week of June and first week of July and followed advisories got better yields and are out of loss.”

Many more farmers are showing interest to register their mobile phone numbers for receiving the advisories, he added.